ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, the former President Bill Clinton aide, asked Pelosi in an interview whether it was “right” for Schiff to “have that dramatic interpretation” of the president’s call.
“It’s sad, but he’s using the president’s own words,” Pelosi said.
“Well those weren’t the president’s words,” Stephanpolus responded. “They’re saying he made this up.”
“He did not make it up,” Pelosi said.
Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appeared to be reading from the call transcript on Sept. 26 when he included words that were not in the transcript.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) later called Schiff out.
“While the chairman was speaking I had someone text me, ‘is he just making this up?'” Turner said. “And yes, yes he was. Because sometimes fiction is better than the actual words or the text. But luckily the American public are smart and they have the transcript. They’ve read the conversation, they know when someone’s just making it up.”
After Turner’s remarks, Schiff told those assembled: “My colleague is right … it’s not okay. But also my summary of the president’s call was meant to be, at least part, in parody. The fact that that’s not clear is a separate problem in and of itself. Of course, the president never said ‘if you don’t understand me I’m going to say it seven more times.’ My point is that that was the message that the Ukrainian president was receiving in not so many words.”
Trump reacted to Pelosi’s claim that Schiff didn’t make up the words late Thursday.
“Nancy Pelosi today, on @GMA, actually said that Adam Schiffty Schiff [sic] didn’t fabricate my words in a major speech before Congress. She either had no idea what she was saying, in other words lost it, or she lied,” he said.
“Even Clinton lover @GStephanopoulos strongly called her out. Sue her?”
